Upper Kuskokwim Athapaskan Dictionary

UPPER KUaKOKWIn ALPHABii^T

ch

"crane"

ts'och
"plate"

chon
"rain*!

This vowel is similar to the
English vowel in "hat", "sat",
and "mat". Low front close im-
roxinded vocold.

Similar to the ch In "church".
Voiceless alveopalatal aspi-
rated grooved affricate •

ch* iech*a
"dog"

dl

dai

"crane"

dlot*

"water plants"

Pronounced like ch with the
glottis opening and closing
s imultaneously • ( See "glottal
stop", page 76.) Voiceless
alveopalatal glottallzed
grooved affricate.

Similar to the 4 In "dog" or
"doll". Voiceless unaspirated
alveolar stop.

Similar to the ttle In "bottle"
or "battle". Voiceless alveo-
lar lateral affricate..

67

dr

drodeya
••sheep ••

dz

dzedza
"bird**

Similar to the dr in "drop"
(but representing one sotmd
rather than a combination of
two consonants as in English*)
Voiceless alveolar grooved
affricate.

Similar to the ds in "buds"
(but representing one sound
rather than a combination of
two consonants.) Voiceless
alveolar affricate.

mes
"swing"

Similar to the e in "he"»
"me", and "be". High front
close unrounded vocoid.

S

guga*
•*T:)aby"

gh

t»ighis

••cottonwood

tree"

Similar to the g in "go" and

•bag'

Voiced velar stop.

Made in the position of a
g but allowing the air to
escape from the larynx as
in V and z« Voiced velar
fricative.

68

Is

"fish trap"

hade in the posx-cion of the k
but allowing the air to
escape from the lungs as in
f and s* Voiceless velar
fricative.

Pronounced between the i in
••sit" and the a in "above".
High front open unrounded
vocoid to mid-central close
unrounded vocoid.

"cooking //
stick" /^

konsa

"ground

squirrel"

Mi

k^o*
"arrow"

Similar to the j in "job".
Voiceless aspirated alveopal-
atal affricate.

Pronoimced like the k in
"kill"* Voiceless velar
stop.

Pronounced like the k

but with the glottis opening

and closing simultaneously.

Voiceless glottalized velar

stop.

milo*
"hand"

]1^

Pronounced like the 1 In
"lick". Voiced lateral
fricative.

^i^

"fish

hook"

Resembles the 1 in "cleave".
Voiceless lateral fricative.

m

min
"lake"

Pronounced like the m in
"man". Voiced bilabial
I nasal .

n

n

nime
"porcupine"

Pronounced like the n in

Voiced alveolar nasal.

tsUn

Pronounced in the same posi-
tion as the n but without
moving the vocal cords. When
pronounced by itself there is
no soimd except that of air
escaping through the nose.
Voiceless alveolar nasal.

n'

k'un'
"fish
eggs"

->?x^

'K

L~m!T6Gi-c^>

Pronounced liKe an n but cut
off by closing the glottis.
Voiced alveolar glottallzed
nasal •

osh

"snowshoes"

Similar to the o in "Jot". or
"pot". Low back rounded
vocoid.

s suje

**marten"

sh osh

"snowshoes"

sr sr\ah

"robin"

v\

Pronounced like the s in
"saw" • Voiceless alveoj^r
grooved fricative.

Pronounced like the sh in
"sheep". Voiceless alveo-
palatal grooved fricative •

Sounds like the s and r pro-
nounced together similar to
the shr in "shrew" (but
representing one sovmd rather
than a combination of two con-
sonants as in English.)
Voiceless alveolar retroflexed
fricative.

71

tomo

t« ch»lt«on»
"leaf"

ti

hwti
"sled"

Pronounced like the t in "toy"
and "to". Voiceless alveolar
aspirated stop.

Pronouced like the t but with
the glottis opening and closing
simultaneously . Voiceless
alveolar glottalized stop.

Sounds like t and i pronounced
together. No comparable sound
in English. Voiceless alveo-

i lar affricate- lateral.

ti* ti^ui
•'rope"

Pronounced like the ti with the
glottis opening and closing
simultaneously. No comparable
sound in English. Voiceless
alveolar glottalized lateral
affricate.

tr dotron*
"raven '

Sounds like t and r pronounced
at the same time. Similar to
the tr in "tree". Voiceless
alveolar retroflexed grooved
affricate.

72

tr'

tr'esh
"boat"

e^

-.ib^^^

Sounds like t and r pronounced
at the same time with the
glottis opening and closing
s imultaneously . Voiceless
alveolar retroflexed grooved
affricate.

ts

tso»
"beaver"

ts'

ts*in
"bone"

Sounds like t and s pronoimced
at the same time, similar to
the ts in "hats" (but repre-
senting one sound rather than
a combination of two conso-
nants as in English.) Voice-
less alveolar grooved
affricate.

Sounds like t and s pronounced
together with the glottis
opening and closing simulta-
neously. No comparable soiind
in English. Voiceless al-
veolar glottalized grooved
affricate.

u

tu

"water"

gwh
"rabbit"

Similar to the u in "flu".
High back close rounded
vocold.

Similar to the u in "put" and
the 00 in "foot". High
central close rounded vocoid^

73

yode
"eagle"

y*

k*wy«
"willow"

ch'lzls
"hide .
skin"

Pronounced like the y in
"yes". High front close un-
rounded nonsyllablc vocoid.

Pronounced like y but cut off
by closing the glottis. High
front close unrounded glottal-
ized nonsyllabic vocoid.

Pronounced like the z in
"zoo". Voiced alveolar
grooved fricative.

zr

Jezra
"camp
robber

tso*
"beaver"

Sounds like z and r pronoxm-
ced at the same time. No
comparable sound in English.
Voiced alveolar retroflexed
grooved fricative.

Made by closing the glottis
in the throat. This is what
takes place between the two
syllables in "oh-oh". Glottal
stop.

71*

UPPER KUSKOKWIM ATHAPASKAI^
DICTIONARY

by

Raymond and Sally Jo Collins

Nikolai, Alaska

Associated with

The Summer Institute of Linguistics
Box 1028
Fairbanks, Alaska 99701

1966